Oktay Rifat Horozcu
Encyclopedia
Oktay Rifat Horozcu, better known as Oktay Rifat, (10 June 1914 – 18 April 1988) was a Turkish
writer and playwright
, and one of the forefront poet
s of modern Turkish poetry since the late 1930s. He was the founder of the Garip
movement, together with Orhan Veli
and Melih Cevdet
.
Oktay Rifat had a great influence on modern Turkish poetry, standing outside traditional poetic conventions and creating a new movement.
, son of poet and linguist Samih Rifat Horozcu, who was also governor of Trabzon.
He graduated from Ankara Erkek Lisesi (Ankara Highschool) in 1932, and completed a Bachelor of Law from the University of Ankara. He was appointed to Paris
, France
by the State Ministry to do his PhD
, however came back after three years without completing his degree due to outbreak of World War II
.
He moved to Istanbul
in 1955, and started to work as a legal adviser for the Turkish State Railways
in 1961. He retired in 1973, and died in Istanbul on 18 April 1988. He was interred at Karacaahmet Cemetery
in Üsküdar
district of Istanbul.
(Existence).
In 1941, together with his friends Orhan Veli Kanık and Melih Cevdet Anday
, he published the famous book Garip, which formed the first example of the Garip
, or 'Strange' movement.
His poems, which use all the richness of his native Turkish language
, include Karga ile Tilki (The Crow and the Fox), for which he won the Yeditepe Poetry Prize in 1955. His work rejected older, complex forms, favouring simplicity and fresh rhythms.
Oktay Rifat also published novels such as Bir Kadının Penceresinden (Through a Woman’s Window) and Danaburnu (Calf Nose), theatre plays such as Kadınlar Arasında (Among Women, first staged in 1948) and translated older works into Turkish from Latin and Greek.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
writer and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and one of the forefront poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
s of modern Turkish poetry since the late 1930s. He was the founder of the Garip
Garip
Garip was a group of Turkish poets. The group was also known as the First New Movement. It was composed of Orhan Veli, Oktay Rifat and Melih Cevdet, who had been friends since high school. The name "Garip" signalled a break with the conventional, decadent style of Turkish poetry and literature at...
movement, together with Orhan Veli
Orhan Veli
Orhan Veli Kanık or Orhan Veli was a Turkish poet. Kanık who is the founder of Garip Movement together with Oktay Rıfat and Melih Cevdet has moved to the poetic language, utterance of man-in-the street by purposing rootedly to change the old structure in Turkish poetry...
and Melih Cevdet
Melih Cevdet Anday
Melih Cevdet Anday , Turkish poet and writer who has been one of the forefront poets of the Garip movement together with Orhan Veli and Oktay Rifat....
.
Oktay Rifat had a great influence on modern Turkish poetry, standing outside traditional poetic conventions and creating a new movement.
Early life
Oktay Rifat was born on 10 June 1914 in the city of TrabzonTrabzon
Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
, son of poet and linguist Samih Rifat Horozcu, who was also governor of Trabzon.
He graduated from Ankara Erkek Lisesi (Ankara Highschool) in 1932, and completed a Bachelor of Law from the University of Ankara. He was appointed to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
by the State Ministry to do his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, however came back after three years without completing his degree due to outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
He moved to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
in 1955, and started to work as a legal adviser for the Turkish State Railways
Turkish State Railways
The State Railways of the Turkish Republic or TCDD is the government owned, national railway carrier in the Republic of Turkey, headquartered in Ankara...
in 1961. He retired in 1973, and died in Istanbul on 18 April 1988. He was interred at Karacaahmet Cemetery
Karacaahmet Cemetery
The Karacaahmet Cemetery , located in Üsküdar district, is the oldest in Istanbul and, at , the largest burial ground in Turkey.The cemetery was named after a warrior companion of Orhan I, the second Ottoman sultan and is believed to have been founded in the mid-14th century...
in Üsküdar
Üsküdar
Üsküdar is a large and densely populated municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Beykoz, on the east by Ümraniye, on the southeast by Ataşehir, on the south by Kadıköy, and on the west by the Bosphorus, with the areas of Beşiktaş,...
district of Istanbul.
Career
Oktay Rifat started writing poetry as a high school student, and his first poems were published between 1936 and 1944 in the literature journal VarlıkVarlik
Varlık is a Turkish literature and art magazine. Established by Yaşar Nabi Nayır in 1933, it often publishes poetry and works of famous Turkish poets and writers....
(Existence).
In 1941, together with his friends Orhan Veli Kanık and Melih Cevdet Anday
Melih Cevdet Anday
Melih Cevdet Anday , Turkish poet and writer who has been one of the forefront poets of the Garip movement together with Orhan Veli and Oktay Rifat....
, he published the famous book Garip, which formed the first example of the Garip
Garip
Garip was a group of Turkish poets. The group was also known as the First New Movement. It was composed of Orhan Veli, Oktay Rifat and Melih Cevdet, who had been friends since high school. The name "Garip" signalled a break with the conventional, decadent style of Turkish poetry and literature at...
, or 'Strange' movement.
His poems, which use all the richness of his native Turkish language
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, include Karga ile Tilki (The Crow and the Fox), for which he won the Yeditepe Poetry Prize in 1955. His work rejected older, complex forms, favouring simplicity and fresh rhythms.
Oktay Rifat also published novels such as Bir Kadının Penceresinden (Through a Woman’s Window) and Danaburnu (Calf Nose), theatre plays such as Kadınlar Arasında (Among Women, first staged in 1948) and translated older works into Turkish from Latin and Greek.
Awards
- 1954 Yeditepe Poetry Award - for Karga ile Tilki
- 1970 Türkish Language Institute Poetry Award - for his book Şiirler (Poems)
- 1970 Ankara ArtLovers Foundation Best Play of the Year and TRT Art Awards Competition Best Talent Award for his theatre play called Yağmur Sıkıntısı (Oppressive Air)
- 1980 Sedat Simavi Foundation Award - for poetry in the book Bir Cigara İçimi (Smoking a Cigarette)
- 1984 Necatigil Poetry Award- for his book Dilsiz ve Çıplak (Mute and Naked)
- 1980 Madaralı Roman Award - for his novel Danaburnu